Pierre Cardin

From Chanel's Resort 2013 show to all the romantic editorials that have been staged there, the Palace of Versailles is having a moment. And now, Le Grand Divertissement à Versailles — the 1973 fashion face-off between five American designers and five French couturiers — is the subject of the new film Versailles '73: American Runway Revolution.

The event was staged by Eleanor Lambert, creator of Vanity Fair's International Best Dressed List, who invited Halston, Oscar de la Renta, Bill Blass, Anne Klein, and Stephen Burrows to represent America. The French team included Yves Saint Laurent, Dior's Marc Bohan, Hubert de Givenchy, Pierre Cardin, and Emanuel Ungaro.

Director Riley Draper said she created the film, which will premiere during New York Fashion Week in September, to remember an evening that had a profound impact on the American fashion and modeling industries.

Riley's research found that the American designers took their positions as underdogs very seriously. "When you look at the documents, they were like, 'We're going to war,'" she said. That may explain their groundbreaking decision to cast black models for their portion of the show.

"To actually have an exhibition with 12 African-American models at one time, in one show, in a palace in France, representing the United States and representing our fashion industry, is legendary — it's historical," said Riley.

The documentary features interviews with some of those models, including Pat Cleveland and Alva Chinn, as well as former Vogue editor Grace Mirabella and several fashion historians. Cameron Silver of the vintage store Decades narrates the film, which Riley screened at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year. She'll also screen the film in Los Angeles and Atlanta before bringing it to New York City. A glimpse of the film in the trailer below.

>> Is change on the horizon for the house of Pierre Cardin? There are certainly rumors floating around that would perpetrate as much. Earlier this month, shortly after Hedi Slimane confirmed that he plans to return to fashion design, commenters on The Imagist suggested that he may be headed to Pierre Cardin. And then this morning, The Imagist himself tweeted, "You will witness the return of Pierre Cardin to ultra-blue chip relevancy," suggesting that something is indeed a-brewing.

Just last week, Cardin said that in light of his age, he wants to hand his empire over to new owners soon: “A decision is fairly imminent. I want to do it this year. I am almost 89, you know. I might be alert for another two, three years, but after that, I’ll be a little bit senile.”

His minimum asking price remains one billion euros ($1.4 billion), despite criticism that the price is too steep for a business based mainly on licenses. “I field offers every single day,” Cardin noted. “Let’s do the math briefly. There are some 100 clothing products for men, women and children. There are roughly 100 countries. On average, I’m asking for one million euros [$1.4 million] per product and per country. That’s 10 billion euros. Wouldn’t you give one million euros to own the license for Pierre Cardin suits, for example? It’s nothing.”

Cardin added that he is currently leaning towards a plan by British-based investors to list the company on the stock exchange and keep him on as CEO. But, as WWD notes: "The famously mercurial designer could still change his mind."

I've never worn a Pierre Cardin piece, but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate the man behind the French fashion empire. And here's a book — Pierre Cardin: 60 Years of Innovation ($75) by Jean-Pascal Hesse — to help educate. It highlights the Italian-born French designer's work, all 60 fabulous years of it. Cardin, now 87, is praised for proving that fashion can be an art and a successful business. Fun fact: Cardin created the bubble dress in 1954. Does this read interest you?

>> INSIDER WIRE —Pierre Cardin was hospitalized last Friday following a fall from scaffolding on his property in Lacoste, France and then readmitted to the Marseille hospital for high blood pressure.  After two days in the hospital, the designer has returned home; the doctors found 86-year-old Cardin's health to be "completely satisfying" after he underwent various medical tests. [WWD, AP]

*image: source